The Fox and the Hound

Voices of: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, John McIntire, Corey Feldman, Mel Blanc (uncredited)
Directed by: Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama
1981

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A fox and a hound form an unlikely friendship, but their places in life threaten to pull them apart.

Review:
Tim: I remember watching The Fox and the Hound at some point in my childhood. It's certainly possible I saw it multiple times, but I only remember the one. As a kid, there were things I liked about the movie, but I wouldn't say I had the warmest memories of the film as a whole. There were things that troubled me about it. As an adult, I watched it again, this time with my kids. This is a case of me feeling pretty much the exact same way about the film, even though it had been somewhere between 25-30 years between viewings. I admit this is a good movie. The characters are memorable, the story has some depth to it. And yet, despite it being good, it feels like it's missing that Disney magic that the great films have. It's good, but flawed.

The premise is solid and it perfectly sets up the film. You have a baby fox and a baby hound dog who meet and becomes friends. This allows the film to deliver a series of super cute scenes involving baby animals. These are among the best scenes of the entire movie. It's eminently fun to watch cute baby animals playing and becoming friends. The problem is that as these animals grow up, they learn that they are meant to be natural enemies. Dogs hunt foxes. Foxes flee from dogs. Society and the world dictates that this is so. This is really good, too. There's a powerful message for kids here. The world expects certain things from people and most go along with the flow. It takes courage and strength to buck the "natural order" of things. And, this world desperately needs more people to do this.

So far, so good. The problem isn't the story or the lessons learned. It's really more about the execution. Yes, the baby animal scenes are cute. There's a surprising lack of enjoyment to be had from the rest of the movie. For the bulk of the film, Tod and Copper are pitted against each other. It's hard for kids to watch two friends forced to act like enemies. Hunting plays a big role in the story and much of the tension comes from the hunter and his dogs trying to kill Tod. There's a romantic subplot with Tod and a girl fox that feels a bit forced and uncomfortable (kids aren't clamoring for more romance). All these elements together, it's just a slightly unpleasant viewing experience. As a kid, there were things I liked but overall, I just didn't have much fun with the movie. The story is full of tension and there's a number of mildly frightening scenes. The "comedic relief" characters involve two birds trying to eat a cute, likeable worm. There's a number of songs throughout the film, but they're completely forgettable. The movie doesn't walk a line between nerve-racking and fun. It totally abandons the idea that this movie is supposed to be entertaining. It delivers its message well, but it's in a package that is fairly unsatisfying to watch.

The voice cast is decent. Mickey Rooney makes for a worthwhile Tod. His voice is distinct and memorable. I love that Kurt Russell voiced Copper. I didn't know Russell did voice work, but his performance here was memorable. Pearl Bailey added her great voice to the mix, I really appreciated what she brought.

So yes, The Fox and the Hound is a good movie. The animation is solid (if a bit bleak) and the message is powerful. Kids should watch this movie. Just don't expect them to fully appreciate the experience. My kids were invested in the story, but most of their commentary was trying to process why Copper wanted to kill his friend Tod. When the movie ended, I'm not sure they knew exactly what to think. Now, a month later, my son said he liked the movie. At 6.5 years old, he was able to recount a few details from the story with mild prompting from me. He reacted to it similar to me when I was a kid. I guess I liked the movie, but it would never be among my favorites. As an adult, I have the vocabulary to describe my feelings more clearly. This is a good movie, but one of the more unsatisfying Disney productions I've seen.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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